St. Francis Square

Groundbreaking and construction of the complex began in 1998 and was aimed to be completed in 2000.{{citation needed|date=February 2025}} Due to some controversies regarding the financing of ASB Group of Companies, which is presently known as the St. Francis Square Group of Companies due to rising debts, which rose to a total of ₱12.7 billion, and alongside the effects of the 1997 Asian financial crisis.{{cite news |last1=Felix |first1=Rocel |title=ASB Group granted debt relief |url=https://www.philstar.com/business/2000/05/05/98915/asb-group-granted-debt-relief |access-date=22 February 2025 |work=The Philippine Star |date=5 March 2000}}{{cite news |last1=Torrijos |first1=Elena R. |title=ASB submits rehab plan |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=c1M1AAAAIBAJ&sjid=ZyUMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3233%2C26967301 |access-date=22 February 2025 |work=Philippine Daily Inquirer |date=28 August 2000 |page=B4|via=Google News Archive}} Due to these problems, the interior finishing works for the twin towers were halted. The delay also caused the St. Francis Group to prioritize other properties, which included the St. Francis Square Mall, which was completed on 2005, and other residential projects. After 9 years of being delayed, construction for the twin towers resumed in 2009 and the buildings were later finished in 2011.

The complex presently comprises two key properties, namely the BSA Twin Towers and the St. Francis Square Mall. Costing roughly ₱550 million during its construction in 1998, the complex sits on {{convert|1.30|ha}} and were designed by local architecture firm R. Villarosa Architects. The complex was fully completed in 2011, with the completion of the BSA Twin Towers.

File:BSA Twin Towers Manila.jpg

The complex has three buildings, but the main two towers are the most notable properties of the complex. Each tower stands {{convert|221|m}} high, occupying a land area of {{convert|3037.32|sqm|sqft|0}} of the site's land. The towers were initially topped off on 2000, yet was initially completed in 2011, wherein the two towers became the fourth-tallest buildings in the country. During the planning phase of the tower, the two towers were supposedly to feature a rooftop observation deck or a sky garden on their pyramid roofs, yet the plan was removed years later. The towers currently serve as a 3-star hotel and also serve as a radio transmitter of FM radio stations 90.7 Love Radio, 101.1 Yes FM and 96.3 Easy Rock; all owned by MBC Media Group. Between October and November 2019, amid the aftermath of a fire tragedy at Star City (which is located next to the MBC Building) in Pasay, the building served as a backup studio facility for the three stations, as well as temporary studios for AM radio station DZRH and community-formatted national FM network Radyo Natin.{{cite web |title=MBC uses back-up facilities to 'minimize interruption' after Star City fire |url=https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/10/03/19/mbc-uses-back-up-facilities-to-minimize-interruption-after-star-city-fire |publisher=ABS-CBN News |date=October 3, 2019 |access-date=October 3, 2019}} At night, the towers are illuminated with a neon light display from the central part of the towers to the tower's pyramid-style roofs, with logos of the St Francis Group of Companies, AUX Aircon, and HKTV (HongKong TV) attached on the roof's exteriors.

Office spaces are also present at the tower's three podium levels and are occupied by various local firms. The towers' amenities feature a lap pool, a lagoon pool, the Cornerstone restaurant, a children's playground, an outdoor jogging path at the ninth floor, four function rooms, and a gym located at the sixth floor.{{cite web |title=St Francis Hotels {{!}} Home |url=https://stfrancissuites.com.ph/# |website=stfrancissuites.com.ph}}

The St. Francis Square Mall is a four-storey mall located within the St. Francis Square complex which topped off in August 2005 and later opened on October 21, 2005.{{cite news |title=Topping-off Rite |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=EK41AAAAIBAJ&sjid=fiUMAAAAIBAJ&pg=621%2C10620302 |access-date=22 February 2025 |work=Philippine Daily Inquirer |date=5 August 2005 |page=B3-2|via=Google News Archive}}{{cite web |title=About Us |url=http://119.92.113.153/MallTiangge/about.html |website=St. Francis Square|publisher=St. Francis Square Group of Companies |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220312022050/http://119.92.113.153/MallTiangge/about.html|archive-date=March 12, 2022}}{{cite news |title=ASB Holdings bares new project |url=https://mb.com.ph/issues/2005/12/02/BSNS2005120250640.html |access-date=22 February 2025 |work=Manila Bulletin |date=2 December 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061107092122/https://mb.com.ph/issues/2005/12/02/BSNS2005120250640.html#google_vignette |archive-date=7 November 2006}} The mall has a total floor area of {{convert|23,100|m2|sqft|abbr=on}} and are separated to the BSA Twin Towers' driveway and an open parking lot that caters both UV Express vehicles that serve the SM Megamall UV Express terminal and delivery trucks.

The Super Tiangge area of the mall once hosted over 1,000 stalls and stores. It also housed the Christ's Commission Fellowship (CCF) megachurch from 1997 to 2013, when the megachurch moved to the CCF Center in the Ortigas East complex in Pasig City.

In June 2019, the Super Tiangge area and the second and third levels of the mall were vacated. The mall underwent major renovations, now featuring a modernized facade and the former retail spaces were converted to commercial and office spaces for business process outsourcing (BPO) and other local companies. The primary tenant of the building is St. Francis Square Group of Companies, which serves as the company's headquarters located on the building's fourth floor. Other tenants include High Point Services Philippines; Eastvantage, which has BPO office spaces on the second floor of the building, and Emapta, which occupies the building's fifth floor.{{cite news |title=St. Francis Square Mall closes down tiangge area |url=https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/06/01/19/st-francis-square-mall-closes-down-tiangge-area |publisher=ABS-CBN News |date=June 1, 2019 |access-date=May 26, 2022}}

Tenants of the mall included the Puregold Jr. Supermarket on the basement floor, the St. Francis Generic Drug Store and St. Francis Bookstore on the ground floor, and the St. Francis Department Store at the mezzanine floor of the mall.88db.com [http://ph.88db.com/ph/Services/Post_Detail.page/business_services/business_opportunity/?PostID=153481 St. Francis Square Mall at 88db.com]{{dead link|date=February 2025}} At its peak, the mall attracted a daily foot traffic of 50,000 people, and was known for its tiangge stalls that mainly sold phone cases, gadget repair services, DVDs, and children's toys. On July 2024, a portion of the mall's ground floor is occupied by the Ortigas campus of Makati Hope Christian School.{{Cite web |title=Makati Hope Christian School Ortigas |url=https://makatihopeortigas.edu.ph/ |website=Makati Hope Christian School}}

The third, fourth, and fifth floors of the mall formerly housed the St. Francis branch of CCF. A part of the third floor acted as a transit floor for escalators from the second floor to the fifth floor as a direct access corridor to and from the CCF auditorium, while the fifth and sixth floors housed the 3,000-person capacity CCF Auditorium and other support facilities such as its clinic and overflow room.

{{portal|Philippines}}

• List of tallest buildings in the Philippines

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.stfrancissquare.com.ph/ St. Francis Square] - Official website
• [http://www.bsatwintowers.com/ BSA Twin Towers] - Official website

{{Ortigas Center}}

{{Manila Skyscrapers}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:St Francis Square}}

Category:Shopping malls in Mandaluyong

Category:Shopping malls established in 2005

Category:Office buildings completed in 2000

Category:Skyscrapers in Ortigas Center

Category:Twin towers

Category:Skyscraper office buildings in Metro Manila